


A Bitter Truth

by swanqueenfic13



Series: Little Luthor [18]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Broken Bones, Childhood Injury, F/F, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Hospitals, Lydia gets hurt, Surgery, Surgical Prep, Surgical Procedures mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-08 23:32:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12875406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: When Lena goes away for another business trip, Lydia ends up in the hospital and startling truths are revealed.





	1. Hurry Up and Wait

**Author's Note:**

> Just s warning that this fic revolves around a child getting injured and in pain. I don't think my descriptions are graphic, per say, but it could be upsetting to people. If you think this might upset you, please skip this story!

National City was experiencing their coldest winter in a decade- and it wasn’t even technically winter, yet. The first week in November brought with it a cold chill and a slew of dreary, rainy days. It wasn’t quite below freezing- it rarely ever was in California- but it came pretty close. More often than not, Sunny Side had the kids play inside during their recess time, much to the kids’ chagrin.

Lena, Kara, and Lydia had settled into the new house and were deciding to host the winter holiday festivities for their friends and family. It certainly helped that Kara and Lena had finally hired a full-time nanny to help out while Kara was on Supergirl-duty and Lena was dealing with her responsibilities as CEO. In mid-November, Lena was once again preparing to go on a tour of the other L-Corp facilities, though this was a two-week trip to allow time to inspect the international locations.

“I need you to _promise_ not to surprise me with another animal, do you hear me Kara Zor-El?” Lena had whispered when they were saying goodbye at the airport.

“I promise, Lena. Are you sure I can’t come fly by and visit you? I can get Maggie and Alex to watch Lydia so I can come for a little bit?” Kara offered, kissing Lena’s hair. Lena chuckled, kissing her cheek before pulling away to smile at Kara.

“Tempting, but I’d rather you stay here with our daughter. I’ll be back before you know it, okay?” Lena said softly. Kara sighed but nodded. Lydia jumped up from the seat where she had waited with Maggie and ran over to hug Lena. Lena bent down to scoop her up and swung her around in a tight hug. “Oh, my sweet girl, Mommy’s gonna come back, remember? Just like last time?”

“Are we gonna get a kitty this time?” Lydia said in a small voice, her smile hidden in Lena’s shoulder.

“No, you are not surprising me with any more animals, got it? You can surprise me with some pretty artwork or some cupcakes or something, deal? No new pets or anything.” Lena grinned, bouncing Lydia on her hip happily.

“Okay, okay, I promise,” Lydia giggled. As her laughter faded, she let her head drop onto Lena’s shoulder. “You’ll call lots?”

“Lots and lots, I promise. As often as I can. Mama and I explained that the times are different in other parts of the world, right? So I might have to call at strange times, but I will do my best to call you every day. And I will be home two days after Thanksgiving so you, me, and Mama will have a second Thanksgiving with… with special foods, it won’t have to be turkey, okay? We can have… Chinese food or pizza or pasta or something. And I’ll take pictures of any pretty things I see that you would like, and who knows? Maybe I’ll bring you a present. But you have to behave for Mama, got it? And for any grown-up who’s in charge of you: your teachers, your babysitters, your nanny, your aunties, and your Mama,” Lena said firmly while Lydia nodded along seriously.

“Alright, sweet girl, Mommy’s gotta go get on the plane now. Give her a big hug and a kiss. That’s a good girl,” Maggie says softly, coaxing Lydia out of Lena’s arms. She waits a moment while Kara gives Lena a hug and kiss of her own before putting Lydia in her Mama’s arms. Smiling warmly at the young CEO, Maggie pulled her into a tight hug, surprising Lena for a fraction of a second before she melted into the embrace. “You take care of yourself over there, Luthor. I’ve told your assistants they’re not allowed to let you skip any meals and to keep you hydrated, so don’t get mad at them if they keep pushing water. And I know you’re a super busy, super powerful, badass woman, but you are also human and you need to sleep. So… take care of yourself and come back soon. I’ll keep an eye on your girls over here, alright?” Maggie whispered, kissing Lena’s hair affectionately before pulling away. Both pretended not to see the way Lena’s eyes had gone glassy with tears (it was the first time since Lex that she had felt that kind of loving, protective warmth from an older sibling).

Lydia sniffled as they walked away and waved goodbye and she continued waving until long after Lena had boarded the plane.

 

It took a couple of days for Kara and Lydia to settle into a schedule. Kara would get Lydia ready in the mornings and take her to daycare. She’d stay until lunchtime before she went off to the DEO for Supergirl duty. The nanny, a sweet, competent young woman named Anya, would pick Lydia up and care for her after school and make something for dinner. Kara would come home as dinner was finishing up and she’d send the nanny home for the night. A few nights Maggie or Alex had stopped by to check up on them or do some last minute babysitting if Supergirl was needed. All in all, they’d been doing pretty well. Of course, that meant something had to happen.

 

It was the first day all week that it hadn’t rained, but it was barely 35 degrees out. It was a Friday, so Kara wasn’t at school at all that day. She was cleaning in the house- earpiece in so she could listen for any Supergirl emergencies- when her phone rang, startling her. Realizing it was the school calling her, Kara’s stomach fluttered nervously as she picked up.

“Hey, Susan. What’s up? Is everything okay?” Kara asked, putting the couch down so that she could hold her phone.

_“Um, not quite. Lydia’s… she had an accident at recess today. I guess… I wasn’t outside, but the recess monitors said she was playing on the playground, and she slipped off of the stairs on her way up to the slide. Her arm is pretty badly broken and the ambulance just pulled in to take her to Luthor Children’s Hospital. Are you at home?”_

“Wh- yeah! Yeah, I’m home,” Kara said quickly, scrambling around to tug her shoes on and be ready to change into her suit so she could get there faster. Fish jumped to his feet and ran around her ankles, barking and alarmed by Kara’s mounting anxiety. “Quiet, Fish,” she admonished. “Sit!” Immediately, the dog sat and looked up at her. Kara stood there, petting him while she listened to Susan.

 _“It’ll probably be faster if you just meet us at the ER there, then,”_ Susan continued and Kara instantly cursed her honesty. She should have lied and said she was out; now it’s too suspicious if she meets the ambulance at the daycare. _“I’ll be riding with her, of course, and I have her medical file here. You told us that Lena is out of the country, so I know you’re her emergency contact now.”_

“Right, right, of course. I’ll have to… I’ll have to call Lena… I don’t- is she alright?” Kara can hear the wailing of the ambulance, the rattling of the gurney as it’s wheeled around to the back of the playground. She can hear children screaming and crying, frightened by what they’d seen. And she can hear Lydia hyperventilating, shaking and whimpering in pain. Kara’s stomach churned, uneasy.

 _“She’s in pain, as I’m sure you can imagine. And she’s been crying out for you and Lena. But Kara- you know she’ll be okay, alright? They’ll put her arm in a splint so it won’t move as much and that’ll help a bit with the pain. They’ll get her there fast and- for God’s sake, Kara, the hospital has her last name on it! She’ll be in good hands, you know that,”_ Susan reassured her, firm and stern, but still gentle and compassionate.

“Can I talk to her?” Kara asked, grabbing the keys; if she has to drive, she might as well get going. At the last minute, she ran to Lydia’s room to grab her Supergirl blanket and her Chewy, sprinting out to the car at an almost supersonic speed, locking the door and leaving Fish barking in the house behind her.

 _“I- sure, let me just get over there and- I want to make sure it won’t get in the way of the EMTs, you know,”_ Susan said, and Kara could hear the soles of her shoes slapping against the ground as she ran to the back playground. As Kara pulled out of her parking spot and onto the street, she heard Susan’s discussion with the EMTs, requesting (demanding in as polite a way as one could be while demanding) that Lydia talks to her mother. _“Okay, here she is, Kara,”_ Susan said after a minute. Lydia’s breathing was loud when the phone was placed up to her face.

“Hi, baby girl. Miss Vasquez tells me you got hurt,” Kara said, her voice soft and soothing. Kara quickly connected the phone to the car’s Bluetooth so she could drive hands-free. “The nice ambulance people are going to take you to the hospital, and I’ll be there to meet you and… And the doctors are going to make you better, I promise.”

 _“H-h-h-hurts. Ma-mama it h-h-hurts a lot! I-I-I c-c-can’t e-e-even c-cry!”_ she wheezed and Kara winced hearing the pain and panic in her voice.

“Oh, my sweet girl, you need to slow your breathing, okay? I know it’s hard, I know. You must be so scared and it hurts a whole bunch, but I promise, they’re going to make it better and-” Kara is cut off by the sound of Lydia screaming. Kara whimpers, feeling the tears well up. Quickly, Susan interrupts.

_“They put the splint on, Kara, that’s all. The splint is just this wrap that stabilizes everything and holds it in place until they get there. They just had to touch her arm and shift it from the way she was holding it to get it on. She’s okay, Kara.”_

“Okay, thanks for clarifying, Susan. Can you put her back on?” Kara asked, her voice trembling.

 _“Mama,”_ Lydia cried.

“Oh, baby, I know, I know, lovebug. I’m on my way to the hospital. Are you on the gurney yet? That’s the bed with the wheels.”

 _“Y-yeah_ ,” Lydia said, clearly still hyperventilating. Her hitched double-breathing and short inhales were loud over the phone.

“Okay, lovebug. Good, that’s good. That means they can put the bed into the ambulance and get going. Now, the siren’s going to be on, isn’t that cool? The siren will be on, so you’ll probably hear it a little loud. But there’s going to be a nice ambulance guy to help you out and keep you safe. And Miss Vasquez is going to ride with you, too. How’s that sound?” Kara tries to keep her voice even and calm.

 _“O-o-ow, I w-w-want M-mommy,”_ Lydia cried. Kara heard the car start rumbling along.

“I know you do, baby girl. I know. And I’m going to call her as soon as I can, okay? But first, can you do something for me? I bet you can, my brave, strong girl.”

_“O-o-okay- ow! Do-don’t touch.”_

“Who’s touching, baby? They’re probably just trying to do their job, it’s alright.” Another voice pipes up and Kara realized she was probably on speakerphone, now.

 _“Yes, ma’am. My name’s Chloe, I’m an EMT. I was just putting on the pulse-ox monitor for your daughter so we can monitor her vitals. We went over a bump and the cord hit her bad arm, that’s all. I moved it and she’s fine now right kiddo?”_ the voice said.

 _“Uh-huh_ ,” Lydia whimpered.

“Okay, that’s good. They’re taking care of you, lovebug. Now, can you do something for me? You need to slow your breathing down. Remember those breathing exercises we do after nightmares?” Lydia hummed in the affirmative. “Good. That’s good. I need you to show Miss Vasquez how good you are at your belly breathing. She’s going to put her hand on your belly and I want you to take a nice, slow breath that makes her hand move up. Got it?”

 _“Look, here’s my hand. Can you make it go up?”_ Kara heard Susan encouraging. Kara can hear Lydia’s panicked breathing continue.

 _“I-I-I c-can’t Ma-a-a-m-ma,”_ Lydia wailed.

“You can, my love, you can, I promise,” Kara said earnestly.

 _“Hey, Lydia, sweetheart, can I try and help?”_ The EMT asked. _“You look like a smart girl, I bet you can count up to five, right?”_

 _“Uh-huh,”_ Lydia said shakily. Kara just bit her lip nervously as she merged onto the highway that would take her to the hospital.

_“Great! So you’re going to breathe in through your nose and while you do it, you can count to five. While you breathe in, you’re going to see your teacher’s hand go up with your belly. Then you’re going to breathe out through your mouth and count to five again. Think you can try that?”_

_“Ye-yeah,”_ Lydia said softly. There was silence on the other line except for the sound of Lydia’s slow, shaky breaths. Kara hums quietly, sniffling slightly as she put her blinker on and got off the highway.

“You’re doing so good, my sweet girl. I’m almost at the hospital. I just got off the highway and I think I can hear the sirens coming close, okay, Lyd? The doctors are gonna make it not hurt anymore, I promise,” Kara said as she drove down the street and up to the emergency room door. She put the phone to her chest for a moment, tossing the keys at the valet standing there. “Can you park this? My daughter is on her way in an ambulance and I can’t-”

“Of course, ma’am. You give me the keys and my buddy right there will give you a ticket. When you come out later, you just give it to the attendant on duty and they’ll bring your car back, alright?” the young man says, taking her keys. Kara’s head whipped around as she heard the ambulance pulling into the ambulance bay. As the boy pulled away in Kara’s car, the other one came over with a ticket with all of her car’s information on it.

“That your kid?” he asked as he finished scrawling a few details on the ticket. Kara nodded. He ripped her half of the ticket off and handed it to her. “I hope she’s alright.”

“Thank you,” Kara said sincerely, running over to the ambulance bay as Susan stepped out of the back and the EMT started pulling the gurney out. Kara hung up her phone.

“Susan, hey,” Kara said breathily. Susan put a hand on Kara’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Mama!” Lydia cried when she saw her. Kara’s heart broke when she saw how small Lydia looked in that gurney, swallowed up by the sterile white blankets wrapped around her. Her face was red, streaked with tears and her hairline was slick with sweat. Her sweater was muddy and torn and it looked like they had cut the sleeve of her coat and sweater to get at her arm. The splint was on her right arm, a bright orange rectangle of material that was curved around her arm. A white gauze held the arm to her chest in a sling. Her little arm was visibly broken, the bones shifted and crooked. Using her x-ray vision, she saw two complete breaks in the bones of her forearm.

“Oh, my poor baby girl, hi, Mama’s here now,” Kara cooed, walking alongside the gurney as it was wheeled into the emergency room. “You got all banged up, huh?” Lydia looked exhausted and uncomfortable, whining as she nodded.

“Hurts,” she whimpered.

“I know it does, baby, I know,” Kara whispered. She glanced around the emergency room finding a handful of other children in various states of distress all waiting in chairs or in wheelchairs. Some had ice packs on various body parts, others were bleeding or bruised. One little boy was throwing up into a pink bucket. She turned back to Lydia, smiling to try and reassure her. “But we’re at the hospital now, and they’ll take care of you, right?”

“Miss? Miss, we need you to fill out some paperwork in order to get her into the queue to get in,” a nurse said, pulling on Kara’s arm.

“There’s a line just to get admitted? How long is the wait?” Kara said, surprised. She’d never had to go to a hospital before so she wasn’t entirely sure about the process.

“Yes, ma’am. I can’t say for certain about the wait time, but it’s a fairly light time of day. About an hour, I’d guess. Why don’t we start working on the forms while they get the vitals of your little girl, alright?” she said, gently pulling Kara along to the end of the reception desk. Another two nurses were helping Lydia stand up so they could record her height and weight and Kara watched nervously as the nurse in front of her started typing on her screen. “Patient’s name?”

“Lydia Jacqulyn Luthor,” Kara said, eyes focused on the nurses gently taking care of Lydia.

“Date of birth?”

“August eleventh, 2013.”

“So she’s four?” Kara hummed in the affirmative. One of the nurses handed this nurse a sticky note that had some numbers written on it. Kara figured it was her vitals. The woman murmured to herself as she entered it into the system. “Alright. And your relation to the patient?”

“I’m her mother.”

“You’re Lena Luthor?” the woman said, skeptic. Kara bristled.

“No, I’m Kara Danvers. Her _other_ mother.” At that moment, the nurses brought Lydia over and Kara immediately held her, carefully cradling her sideways so she wouldn’t jostle her arm.

“Mama,” Lydia whined, rubbing her eyes with her good hand.

“I know, sweetheart, shhh,” Kara whispered, kissing her head. “I _am_ her mother.”

“Okay, I’m not challenging you on that miss Danvers, I’m sorry,” the woman said apologetically. “I just have to check. In our system, we have Miss Luthor down as the sole parent,” the woman said, pacifying her. “What’s your date of birth?”

“October fourth, 1990.”

“Alright, perfect. So we have a bracelet for you and a matching one for your mom, how’s that sound, little one?” the nurse said, printing out the thick, plastic bracelets with a barcode and their identifying information printed on it. “It’s just so we can make sure we have the right information for the right patient,” she explained, snapping the bracelet onto Lydia’s good wrist before carefully putting Kara’s on her wrist.

“So, are we on the line now?” Kara asked, wanting to sit down and let Lydia rest and try to get her comfortable while they waited.

“Yes. Why don’t you guys go sit down and make yourselves comfortable? In a few minutes, someone will come over to do a little preliminary examination.” Kara nodded.

“Thank you. And your name is…” Kara trailed off.

“Olivia Johnson,” the woman supplied.

“Thank you, Olivia. Come on, Lyd,” Kara whispered, carrying the girl over to a vinyl sofa in the corner of the room. She laid Lydia down so that her head rested on Kara’s lap and she was on her side, good arm propped up slightly.

“Hey, Kara,” Susan said, approaching them. “If you’re all settled, for now, I think I’m going to head out. I told you and the EMTs everything I knew about what happened, so I’m not really needed here anymore. Will you be good if I go?”

“Yeah, yeah, thank you so much, Susan,” Kara said, a little frazzled.

“Of course. I hope you feel better, Lydia. All your friends at school are

“I want Mommy,” Lydia whined, kicking her legs.

“I know, sweetheart, I do, too. I’m gonna call her right now. While I do that, I brought you something. Do you want to see?” Lydia nodded, lower lip quivering. Kara dug into her bag to find the soft green baby blanket embroidered with Lydia’s name and birthday on it, faded and frayed, but still soft. She also pulled out her stuffed Chewy, handing the stuffed animal over to Lydia and draping the blanket gently over her. “How’s that? A little better?” Lydia wrinkled her nose.

“My arm hurts,” she whispered. Kara bent down to kiss her forehead. It was sweaty, sticky and warm and Kara couldn’t wait for them to get her admitted.

“I know, sweet girl. Why don’t I call Mommy, hmmm? She’ll want to know her baby girl is being so, so brave right now.” Lydia nodded, wincing as she jostled her arm, face paling for a moment as Kara pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Lena. When she answered, her voice was thick and groggy and Kara realized she forgot about the time difference.

_“Kara? Why are you calling so late? It’s half past midnight here.”_

“Lena, sorry, I forgot about the time difference, but this is an emergency,” Kara said quickly. Looking down at Lydia in her lap, she continued. “Lydia is being _so brave_ and such a good girl, but we’re at the hospital right now, her arm is broken and-”

 _“What?! How did this happen? Is she alright? What hospital? How- Is she alright?”_ Lena sounded much more awake now.

“We’re at Luthor Children’s Hospital, still in the waiting room. We just got here five minutes ago. I was doing some housework at home when Susan called. I guess she was at recess and she fell off while she was trying to get to the slide on the playground. An ambulance picked her up there and I met them at the hospital. She’s being super brave even though it hurts, right munchkin?” Lydia nodded weakly. “She’s nodding, you can’t see it. Do you want to talk to her?”

 _“Y-yes, please. I want to hear her voice,”_ Lena said, her voice shaking. Kara could tell her girlfriend was close to tears if she wasn’t already.

“Okay, here, Lyd. Talk to Mommy,” Kara said, putting the phone up to Lydia’s face. She held it there for her.

“Hi, Mommy,” Lydia said softly, sounding much younger and smaller. With her super hearing, Kara could hear both sides of the conversation.

_“Hi, baby girl. Mama said you got hurt?”_

“Yeah, I fell off the slide. My arm really hurts, Mommy. And it looks all funny.”

_“Oh, my poor little thing. My sweet girl, the doctors will take care of you. They’ll give you medicine so it won’t hurt so much and they’ll set your arm back. That means they’re going to put the bones back in the right spots so it won’t look weird. And then, they’re going to put a cast on it that keeps it still so that your bones can heal.”_

“Are they going to fix it soon, Mommy? It hurts a real lot and I’m so sleepy.” Lydia punctuated the statement with a yawn and rubbing her eyes with her fist.

_“I’m sure they will, my love bug. Why don’t you close your eyes and rest a bit and I’m sure they’ll come and fix your arm soon, okay?”_

“Okay,” Lydia hummed.

_“I love you, Lydia.”_

“Love you too, Mommy.”

_“You’re going to feel better, I promise. Can you give the phone back to Mama and rest for me?”_

“Okay, Mommy. Mama, she wants to talk to you,” Lydia said softly, letting her eyes close. Kara nodded, running a hand through Lydia’s hair as she put the phone back up to her ear.

“Hey, Lee,” she said softly.

 _“How long until they get her in there?”_ Lena sniffled over the phone.

“They don’t really know. Maybe an hour, the nurse said. There’s about… eight people who were here first. I’m sure they’re going to get us in as soon as they can. Now, remind me, where are you right now?”

_“Tel Aviv, Israel. I’m going to see how long it’ll take for the jet to be ready to take off. I might just take the next flight back to National City if that’s faster. Are you there by yourself? You should call Alex or Maggie.”_

“I know, I will. I just wanted to call you first,” Kara said softly, continuing to gently massage Lydia’s head, scratching her scalp as she ran her fingers through her hair.

_“Thank you. I… I’ll call you when I’ve figured out an ETA for when I can be home. I love you.”_

“Love you, too. Always.”

_“Always. Give her a hug and a kiss for me?”_

“Of course. Talk to you soon.”

_“Yep, bye.”_

“Bye.” Once she hung up, Kara bent over to kiss Lydia’s head. “That one’s from Mommy.”

“When’s she coming home?” Lydia asked, eyes still closed.

“She’s trying to get home, baby. She’s on the other side of the world right now so it’s the middle of the night there, but she is doing her very best to get back to you as soon as she can. Why don’t you rest, babe? You look tired.”

“I can’t sleep, Mama. Every time I get comfy, I move and my arm hurts and it wakes me up,” Lydia grumbled.

“Well, just close your eyes for a bit. I’m going to text your auntie and your tia to let them know you’re okay. Just close your eyes and try to relax, baby.”

“Not a baby,” Lydia protested weakly.

“You’ll always be mine and Mommy’s baby girl,” Kara said, smirking slightly. Lydia just hummed, sinking into Kara’s touch. She kept wincing and squirming on the couch while Kara opened up a text to Alex; she was too emotionally exhausted for another phone call.

**At the children’s hospital. Lydia fell off the slide at school. Broken in two places, we’re still in the waiting room.**

A few moments later, Alex responded. **I know, Maggie’s on her way over.**

In a separate message, she added, **she was listening to the police scanner at work. It was a slow day so they let her go early. She figured you would need someone there with you and I’m wrapped up in a case so I couldn’t leave yet.** Kara smiled; she really loved her sister-in-law.

“Lyd, your tia’s on the way to see you,” Kara whispered.

“She is?” Lydia asked, squirming to look at Kara before wincing and whimpering.

“Yeah.” Kara sends a quick text to Alex, promising to keep her updated on the situation before she put her phone down, letting her head fall back on the wall and continuing to stroke Lydia’s hair, shushing her every time she squirmed to try and get more comfortable. Every time she seemed to find a comfortable position, she would jostle her arm and cry out. Kara was growing agitated knowing her little girl was so uncomfortable and that she couldn’t help.

“Hey, Kara, Lyd!” Maggie said as she entered the ER, jogging over to kneel next to Lydia. “Oh, _pobrecita_ , you poor baby! I heard over my police scanner that they were taking you here so I thought I’d come be here for you. How are you doing?”

“It hurts, tia,” Lydia whimpered. She struggled to sit up and Kara quickly helped her, trying not to jostle her. “And my arm looks funny and I can’t move it ‘cause it hurts a lot.”

“That does look like it hurts, you poor thing. How long have you guys been here?” she directed that last question at Kara. Lydia, now sitting up, leaning into Kara’s side and Kara hugged her side, checking her watch.

“Almost half an hour. Could you, um, maybe sit with her a minute? One of the nurses said she’d come by to do a little pre-exam and she never did. I just want to check on that.”

“No, Mama, don’t go,” Lydia whined, crying again now. When she tried to stand and reach out to keep Kara close, she moved her arm and yelped in pain, crying in earnest now. Maggie quickly came and sat on her other side, holding her close as Kara walked towards the intake desk. Kara chewed the inside of her cheek, listening to Lydia cry and whimper in pain while there was nothing she could do about it.

“Hi, um, I came in like… half an hour ago? And a nurse Olivia told me someone would come by to talk to us but no one’s come by yet,” Kara said to an older male nurse sitting behind the desk.

“Alright, what’s the patient’s name?” he asked, typing something into the computer.

“Lydia Luthor.”

“And Luthor is spelled-”

“As in Luthor Children’s Hospital,” Kara interrupted. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. L-u-t-h-o-r.”

“It’s alright, miss, we get it all the time. Sick or hurt kids have parents stressed out. Ah- I see here. Nurse Johnson put a note in here, she’s just waiting for someone to come down for the exam she was talking about. I’ll call up and see what’s taking them so long and then I’ll come update you, okay?”

“Yes, thank you. Um… Could you tell me how much longer until she gets admitted? She’s in a lot of pain and I don’t want to give her anything until a doctor has seen her.”

“No more than an hour, Miss Luthor,” he said kindly.

“Danvers,” she corrected.

“Right, my apologies. Miss Danvers.” Kara nodded, turning to walk away. She turned back as the nurse picked up the desk phone and started dialing.

“Sorry, um, what’s your name?”

“Damien Wallace,” he smiled.

“Thank you,” Kara nodded. She took a deep breath and walked back to Lydia, smiling warmly at her little girl. She carefully picked her up and seated her sideways on her lap with her bad arm propped up carefully. Chewy was tucked under her arm and Maggie draped her blanket over her securely, rubbing her leg soothingly. Kara closed her eyes and sang Kryptonian lullabies until Lydia stopped whimpering and her breathing relaxed. She wasn’t totally asleep, Kara could tell, but she was more relaxed now. Kara wasn’t sure how long they sat there quietly before a nurse walked up with a clipboard. Kara startled slightly, jostling Lydia who whined and realized the light outside was dimmer.

“Sorry about the wait. I’m Ally Henderson, the head nurse here. How are we doing today?” the short Hispanic woman said, holding out a hand. Maggie shook her hand before Kara adjusted Lydia so she could greet her as well. Lydia began to cry again at the movement and Kara shushed her gently, wiping her tears.

“Hi, Kara Danvers- no, no, you’re okay, sweetheart, shhh. Sorry,” Kara said softly. “She’s really uncomfortable.”

“I can imagine! That looks really uncomfy, but you are being very brave about all this,” she complimented. Lydia just blinked at her, eyes wide and wet and lower lip jutted out. “So, why don’t you tell me a little bit more about what happened kiddo, huh?”

“I f-fell and it really hurt,” Lydia sniffled.

“Yeah? Where were you when you fell?” the nurse prompted.

“Didn’t someone already ask her all this?” Maggie asked Kara softly. Kara nodded, a little worried now.

“At school. It was recess and I fell off the slide.”

“How did you fall? Did you fall sideways on your arm or did you hold your arm out like this?” she asked, miming the two different ways. First, she demonstrated her arm hitting the clipboard parallel to it, then she showed her hand hitting the clipboard first to break her fall.

“Sideways,” Lydia responded. The nurse nodded and hummed softly, writing on her clipboard.

“She already answered these questions,” Kara pointed out, trying to remain calm. “Why did we have to wait for a head nurse just to answer the same questions? We’ve been here for-” Kara paused, checking her watch and widening her eyes at realizing the time- “- we’ve been here for almost three hours! She’s four years old with a broken arm, can’t we at least admit her so she can get something for the pain?” Kara asked desperately.

“Miss Danvers, why don’t you step over here with me for a minute,” the nurse said calmly, standing. Kara stood and laid Lydia back down on the couch, her head now resting on Maggie’s lap. Maggie whispered to her softly while stroking her hair. Kara stepped aside to stand with nurse Henderson. “There’s an issue with us admitting her,” she told Kara frankly.

“What do you mean?” Kara asked worriedly.

“I mean… We can admit her, yes. But… we can’t give her any medication or treatment without a parent or guardian’s signature since this is a non-emergent case. You are neither.”

“I’m her mother!” Kara protested loudly.

“I am not- Miss Danvers, I am not arguing that you are her mother. But _legally_ you are neither. I am on your side, and I am on Lydia’s side here. Blood doesn’t make a family, and neither does a piece of paper. Unfortunately, we need to cover our own asses in terms of liability,” Nurse Henderson said emphatically. Kara could feel her cheeks turning pink with frustration.

“Her birth mother- her _other_ mother- is in Israel right now on business. She’s been doing everything she can to get her jet ready to fly back, but it won’t be ready for another ten minutes. Is Lydia just supposed to wait until then? She’s in _pain_ ,” Kara said, checking her phone for the latest text update from Lena.

“We could get consent from Miss Luthor over video conference since these are extenuating circumstances… Let me talk to the hospital director and see what we can do. Normally, we require a written form of medical authorization, but maybe we could get a virtual signature along with a recorded message of consent. Let me see what I can do and I’ll get back to you,” she said, turning and heading back through the doors into the hospital. Kara inhaled deeply, hitting her fist against her thigh to try and quell her frustration. She turned and held up one finger to Maggie, taking out her phone to call Lena. Maggie nodded.

 _“Hey, Kara, how’s it going? Has she been admitted yet?_ ” Lena asked.

“No, they won’t admit her. Apparently, since I’m not legally her parent, they can’t treat her until they get consent from her legal parent or guardian. I waited three hours just for a head nurse to come tell me that. Meanwhile, Lydia is hurting and frustrated and exhausted but every time she moves, her leg hurts so she can’t even rest. It’s… How close are you to getting the jet ready?”

_“The pilot has arrived and the plane’s been gassed up. We’re just waiting for clearance to taxi. This is ridiculous!”_

“I know, Lena, I know,” Kara sighed, fighting back the frustrated tears. “Don’t take off yet. The head nurse mentioned getting a virtual signature from you and a video message of consent. You’ll need internet and phone access to do both.”

 _“Alright, I’ll tell them to stall. How are_ you _doing?”_

“I… I’ll be better once Lydia’s not in pain anymore,” Kara said plainly.

_“Me too. You know, when this is all over… We should look into making you her legal mother. I don’t ever want to have to deal with this ridiculous bureaucracy again.”_

“Yeah, yeah, we should.” They fell silent for a moment. “I really wish you were here, Lee.”

_“I will be as soon as I can, okay? I’m coming home. Oh- wait, Kara, I think I’m getting a call from the hospital. I’ll call you back as soon as I can, okay? I love you.”_

“Love you,” Kara said, but Lena had already hung up. She turned and headed back to Lydia. A few minutes, later, the nurses came over to admit Lydia, putting her onto a rolling gurney and hooking her up to monitors. Before they knew it, Kara and Maggie were standing alone in a private treatment room, waiting for Lydia to get back from the x-ray machine. Kara just sank into Maggie’s waiting arms and cried.

 

“I just… She’s so _little_ and in so much _pain_ and it’s my fault they couldn’t do anything!” Kara said, trying to rein in her sobs; Lydia would be back soon and it wouldn’t be good for her to see her mother crying.

“Kara Zor-El Danvers, don’t you _ever_ say that again. This was _not_ your fault at all,” Maggie said sternly, putting a hand on both of Kara’s shoulders, bracing her strongly. “Kara Álainn, you look me in the eye right now.” Maggie let some of her stern, “mom voice” bleed into her words in hopes of getting Kara to listen. Thankfully, she obeys and makes eye contact, head bowed and eyes watery that made her look much younger, like a child. Despite her obvious height advantage on Maggie, even when sitting, Kara managed to make it look like she was looking up at Maggie. “This was not your fault, not in the slightest. You got her to the hospital and you fought for her and you did everything in your power to get her the help she needed. She’s getting cared for now, and she’ll be fine, understand?”

“Yeah, but if I was her _legal_ parent-” Kara started. Maggie swiftly interrupted.

“Do you know how much red tape there is to become a legal parent to a child if you’re not married to their other parent? I do. Alex and I looked into it when Jamie was little. There are legal fees, and you should get an attorney, there are home visits and interviews. You need to meet with social workers and a judge. It takes time and money. It’s much easier to do if you’re married. I don’t blame you for not being her legal guardian because you’re her mom in the ways that count. I know you’ve had a rough afternoon and it’s never easy when your kid is sick or hurt. Believe me, I get it. But I will not let you beat yourself up over things you can’t control or things you can’t change. So now, I want you to repeat after me. ‘This was not my fault.’ Say it, Kara.”

“This was not my fault,” Kara repeated, though it was clear she was just saying it for Maggie’s benefit.

“Again,” Maggie ordered. “And I want you to really _believe_ it.” Kara huffed and rolled her eyes.

“This wasn’t my fault.”

“Good. Say it as many times as you need to until you really do believe it because this wasn’t your fault. And they’re going to help Lydia and they’re going to set her arm and clean breaks heal quick. They’ll give her something for the pain so she won’t be hurting when you leave and in a few months, this will all be a bad memory,” Maggie said softly, releasing Kara. She pulled her into another warm hug and Kara felt grateful that Alex had found Maggie.

 

Once Lydia came back, it was another half hour before a doctor came in to show them the x-rays and confirmed what Kara already knew; the bones in her forearm were broken in two places, both clean breaks. Since she was so young, they need to put her under anesthesia to properly set the bones and put on a cast, which meant waiting for an operating room. The doctors had requested an OR but were still waiting for one to free up. Since they didn’t know exactly when she would get into the OR, they couldn’t give her painkillers since it would interfere with the anesthesia. So, Lydia spent another two hours crying and uncomfortable- and now hungry and thirsty, to boot- before the nurse came to prep her for the procedure.

“Mama, we look silly,” Lydia giggled tiredly once they were ready to bring her down. Both she and Kara were dressed in hospital gowns- though Kara wore hers over her clothes while Lydia wore only the gown- and they had surgical caps over their hair. Lydia had special, fuzzy hospital socks with grips on the feet, and Kara wore blue plastic slipcovers over her shoes. Kara also had a mask on over her mouth and nose to keep the surgical field sterile.

“We do, baby, we do,” Kara grinned, rubbing her thumb on Lydia’s cheek. “Now, what color car are you going to drive down?” Lydia had been delighted to realize that some patients were able to drive down to the operating room in little miniature, motorized ride-on cars.

“The blue one!” she grinned happily, still yawning. It was just past Lydia’s bedtime and all the pain and exhaustion of the day was starting to weigh down on the girl.

“Good choice,” the young nurse smiled. He held her good hand as he helped her into the car, careful to secure the sling to keep her bad arm still. “Now, you’re going to press on the pedal when you want to go. As soon as you lift your foot, the car will stop. You use the steering wheel to tell it which way you wanna go, and this little lever here can make it go backward, but we’re going to stick with forward, alright?” Lydia nodded, eager to get going. “Alright, then let’s get going! You’re going to need to be a careful driver since you’re only working with one good hand, but I know you can do it. Try not to go too fast, okay? We’ve got a speed limit in these halls,” he teased, winking at her. Lydia giggled, gripping the steering wheel before pressing the pedal. The car jolted forward and Kara and the nurse set a brisk pace to keep up with it. He gave directions as they went. By the time they were at the operating room door, Kara was able to smile at how relaxed Lydia seemed, even with her arm still broken.

“This is your stop, Lyd,” Kara grinned, holding out a hand to help her out of the car. Lydia held her hand tight as Kara led her into the operating room. In the center of the large, open room was a gurney covered in white sheets with a blue blanket folded at the end of it. There were several nurses and doctors standing around in the room and trays with several metal tools on it. The x-rays were displayed on a monitor and the machines looked ready to monitor her vital signs. Lydia began to tremble and stood closer to Kara. “You’re alright, sweetheart. These people are all here to help you,” she whispered, squatting down next to Kara.”

“Are we ready to hop on up here?” the doctor asked as she walked in. Kara nodded, scooping Lydia up and sitting her on the edge of the operating table. Lydia clung to her mother’s shirt with one hand, whimpering now. “Oh, whoa, hey now, don’t be scared, Lydia. I know everything looks all scary, but it’s perfectly safe. We’re all here to help you and make your arm feel better.”

“It’s just like going to sleep, sweetheart,” Kara whispered, rubbing Lydia’s back. “Even easier. You’ll fall asleep and when you wake up, your arm will feel better and you’ll have a cool cast. Did you pick a color yet?” Lydia sniffled.

“R-red.”

“Wow, that’s a super good color,” Kara said excitedly. “Are you ready to lay down and go to sleep now?”

“I guess,” Lydia huffed.

“How about Mom comes over here on this side of the table, huh? Then she can hold your hand until you go to sleep,” one of the nurses suggested. Lydia happily laid down and Kara quickly took hold of her good hand, holding on even as the nurses attached wires and monitors to her. After a few minutes, when everything was set up, another doctor came over with the face mask.

“Hi, Lydia, I’m Dr. Capshaw, and I’m in charge of making you go to sleep. Can I tell you how it works?” Lydia nodded and Kara squeezed her hand. “I’m going to put this mask and it’s going to cover your mouth and nose. Then I’m going to push this button over here, and it’s going to put the sleepy gas in the mask. At first, it’s going to smell really good, like cotton candy. You like cotton candy?”

“Yeah,” Lydia giggled. “But Mommy doesn’t let me have it a lot.”

“Yeah, it’s got a lot of sugar. Cotton candy is only good sometimes. So at first, it’ll smell like cotton candy. Then, I need you to count. Do you know how to count backward?” Lydia nodded. Dr. Capshaw beamed at her. “Wow, you are so smart. I’m going to ask you to count backward and as you do, the smell is gonna change from cotton candy to something stinky, like garbage. But that won’t last long because then you’ll be asleep! And it won’t be like when you sleep at home because there are no dreams with this medicine. You’ll just close your eyes and it’ll feel like just a minute later when you open your eyes. So just sit back, relax, and let me do my magic,” the doctor said, her eyes revealing the smile that her face mask hid. “You ready?”

“Mama, you’ll be here when I wake up?” Lydia asked nervously. Kara squeezed her hand again.

“Of course I will, lovebug. And when you wake up, your arm will feel much better,” Kara whispered, bending over to kiss Lydia’s palm through the facemask.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Lydia sighed. Dr. Capshaw nodded and brought the mask down. Once it was situated on Lydia’s face, she turned to another assistant who pushed the button on a monitor.

“Alright, does it smell good?” Lydia nodded. “Great! Then show me that counting, sweetheart. Can you count back from ten?”

“Ten,” Lydia began, her speech already slurred, her words muffled by the plastic mask. “Nine… Eight…” Her eyes fluttered closed and she stopped counting. They held the mask there for another moment before taking it off and turning off the gas, replacing the full mask with a small nasal cannula.

“Mom, that’s your cue. Wilson here will take you to the waiting area. We’ll come get you as soon as she’s all set. Shouldn’t take more than two hours,” the lead doctor said. Kara nodded, taking one look back at Lydia, so small on the operating table, blanket pulled up to her waist now, before following the intern back to Lydia’s room where Maggie was still waiting.


	2. Chosen Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Lydia gets out of surgery, everything feels calmer. Lena returns early from her trip and she and Kara discuss some important things.

Precisely three hours and thirty-two minutes later, the nurse wheeled a still-sleeping Lydia back into her room. Her right arm was encased in a thick, red cast from her fingertips to her bicep. White material poked out of the edges at both the top and near the fingers. The cast itself was propped up on two more hospital pillows and Lydia was draped in blankets, snoring softly. As soon as she entered the room, Kara stood up. Maggie had left an hour ago, replaced by Alex who had finally gotten off of work. Alex now held her sister’s hand until the nurses had left with explicit instructions to notify someone as soon as Lydia woke up and a warning that they’d be back to check on her in a little bit.

“You should sleep, Kara,” Alex said gently. Kara just stood there, looking at Lydia and brushing her hair back. “Kara,” Alex repeated, more insistent. “You’ve had a rough day, you should rest.”

“What if she wakes up?” Kara croaked. “What if she wakes up and she’s scared and I’m not there and- oh, God, I forgot about Fish. Is he alright? Did anyone feed him dinner? That poor dog,” Kara said, pacing worriedly. On one of her passes by her bag, she picked up Chewy and the baby blanket, putting them on the bed with her.

“Kara, I told you when I got here that I fed Fish and brought him back to my place so that Jamie and Maggie could take care of him until you get back. It’s almost eleven, Kara, you should get some rest, please?” Alex begged. “Look, we can drag this chair over so that you’re right next to the bed, and it pulls out to make a little bed, see? You can hold Lydia’s hand and be right there when she wakes up. When she opens her eyes, she’ll see you. And I’ll be here, too, so if she does start to wake up, I can wake you up, too.” Alex dragged over the beige recliner so that it was closer to the hospital bed.

“Are you sure? Aren’t you tired, too?” Kara asked, but she climbed onto the chair anyway, making herself comfortable in a way that allowed her to both see Lydia in the bed and hold Lydia’s good hand.

“I can stay up. I’m good. You rest, okay? I’ll wake you if the nurses need you or if Lydia wakes up or if Lena calls, okay?” Alex said, voice hushed as she dimmed the lights. Kara nodded and hummed. Alex came over and covered Kara in a blanket, bending over to kiss her sister’s forehead, brushing her hair back carefully. “Goodnight, Kara,” Alex said softly as she went to sit down in the other chair across the room, content to play on her phone for a few hours.

 

Lydia woke three hours later when a nurse came to check on her, startling for a moment before she started to cry. Kara was up before Alex could even move to wake her.

“Oh, my lovebug, I know, I know. You woke up in a strange place and you’re still sleepy and I bet your arm still feels weird. It’s tough, I know. You’re okay, you’re okay,” Kara whispered, hugging Lydia as well as she could from this position.

“Don’t feel good,” Lydia whined, pushing Kara away slightly. Kara had barely backed up enough before Lydia bent over and threw up on her front, clear bile dribbling down her chin and all over her hospital pajamas. Quickly, the nurse produced a little pink bucket and caught the last of Lydia’s heaving, though there was little left besides spit and more bile.

“Oh, sweetie,” Kara sighed sympathetically, rubbing circles on Lydia’s back. Now done throwing up, Lydia began to cry.

“It’s okay, kiddo, it’s alright,” the nurse assured her. “It happens sometimes when kids wake up from a surgery like that. We can get you all cleaned up in no time, alright? We can get you some new, warm jammies. Oh, and look! Your stuffed animal didn’t even get messy! Neither did your blankie, isn’t that so lucky?” she continued. The moment Lydia had woken, she kicked and knocked the blanket and toy away and they fell to the ground. Kara didn’t even want to imagine the holy hell that would be unleashed if they had to take away either of Lydia’s favorite comfort items to be cleaned right now.

“I want Mommy,” she wailed, flailing her casted arm around in confusion.

“Oh, sweetheart, Mommy is right here, isn’t she?” the nurse asked in confusion, glancing between both Danvers women. 

“No,” Lydia whined, crying harder.

“I’m Mama. My girlfriend is Mommy, and she’s on a flight on her way here,” Kara explained softly. “Could we get her cleaned up? She’ll feel better once she’s clean and dry and not so disoriented, I know it.” True to form, Kara was right. After cleaning Kara off, they changed her into a brand new set of hospital-issue pajamas, baby blue scrubs covered in tigers and circus clowns and elephants. The pajamas were fresh from the dryer and were still warm which certainly helped Lydia relax again- not to mention the time. They sent Lena a Snapchat of the two of them smiling sleepily and Lena quickly sent one back with a smile and a wave from the skies above the Atlantic Ocean. Lydia had fallen back asleep almost as soon as the nurse left the room, still wrapped up in Kara’s arms.

“Kara, you should sleep, too,” Alex reminded her softly. Kara was too tired to protest, so she just put Lydia back down in the bed, tucking the blankets around her and giving her the stuffed Chewbacca and her blanket before collapsing back onto the sofa bed. 

“You sleep, too,” Kara ordered Alex through a yawn. As she closed her eyes, she watched Alex pull up another chair, making herself comfier before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

 

By the time they were released the next morning, Lena’s plane was beginning its descent before landing at the National City airstrip. Lydia had been outfitted with a fresh pair of hospital sweatpants and a t-shirt and wrapped in blankets since the clothes she came in were ruined when the doctors cut them off. Kara was still in yesterday’s clothes and she held Lydia on one hip as they walked out. Lydia’s cast was tucked safely into a navy blue sling and Alex carried Kara’s bag along with a big styrofoam block; the nurse had explained that they should tuck the cast into the styrofoam when Lydia sleeps to keep her from moving it around too much or hitting herself with the cast when she moves in her sleep. All in all, the family was ready to go home and go to sleep.

“You sure you’re going to be alright? It’s no problem at all if I follow you guys back to your place,” Alex offered one more time while they both waited for the valets to return with their cars.

“I’m sure. Go home to your wife and kid,” Kara insisted, smiling warmly. “Thank you, though.”

“What are sisters for?” Alex hummed. “Let me know when you want me to come by with Fish, alright?” The valet pulled up with Kara’s car first and Alex helped her get a still drowsy Lydia settled into her booster seat before they hugged goodbye and Kara drove away, eyes never leaving Lydia in the rearview mirror for long.

 

“Kara?” Lena yelled as she came home. Kara, freshly showered and now dressed in clean pajamas for a lazy day at home, sped into the kitchen to shush her.

“Shhh, Lydia just fell asleep,” Kara explained as she pulled Lena into a tight hug.

“Where is she? It’s not her nap time,” Lena said, worried. She kissed Kara for a moment before following behind her as Kara led Lena to Lydia’s bedroom where the little girl was sound asleep, arm propped up in the big, yellow foam block. “Oh, my poor baby,” Lena cooed. She kissed Lydia’s forehead, smoothing her hair back and tucking her in tighter. Both women stood there just watching the rise and fall of her chest before they moved back into their own bedroom, Lena kicking her shoes off. “How was she? Why is she sleeping?” Lena fell into a seated position on the bed. Kara knelt behind her, kissing the crown of her head before massaging Lena’s shoulders and pulling off her blouse; there was nothing sexual in the gestures, just a desire to help relieve Lena’s tension and get her dressed in comfy clothes now that everyone was home and safe.

“She is… on pain medication right now which is why she’s sleeping. She’s still kind of uncomfortable and sore whenever the medicine wears off. But yesterday was… it was brutal, Lee,” Kara said honestly, exhaling slowly. Lena winced as Kara’s thumbs pressed at a tender spot between her shoulder blades.

“I can’t even imagine… I looked at her x-rays through her medical portal online… I can’t even… And they didn’t give her anything for pain until after?” Lena said, raising her hips slightly as Kara unzipped her skirt and pulled it down. Kara kissed her shoulder, standing and coming back with warm, fuzzy pajamas. In silence, they get Lena dressed before sitting back against the headboard, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“They couldn’t… give her anything for the pain. Not until a legal parent gave consent, and then they couldn’t because they couldn’t give her anything right before they took her into the OR. I… God, Lee, she was in so much pain,” Kara said, her voice breaking. She swallowed thickly for a moment before Lena turned to her and kissed her cheek. Kara’s tears fell thick and fast, blurring her vision and Kara buried her head in Lena’s shoulder, gripping the back of her shirt carefully so as not to rip it. “I c-couldn’t help her, Lena!”

“Oh, my love, it’s okay, she’s… she’s alright now. I can’t even… imagine how awful that must have been for you. But she’s home now, and she’s getting better. And I’ve already contacted my lawyers. They’re going to work on expediting the process of you legally adopting Lydia so we never have to worry about something like this.” Kara nodded, sniffling still. Lena just held her and both women cried, releasing all of their stress from this experience. There was nothing so difficult as knowing their child was in pain and being unable to do anything to alleviate it. By the time both women were all out of tears, they were asleep on the bed, still wrapped up in each other. They were so deeply asleep that neither stirred when a sleepy Lydia crawled into bed with them except to snuggle her closer into their embrace.

 

Lena woke later that afternoon to Lydia wriggling in the bed, flipping, and flopping every which way to try and get comfortable. When her cast whacked Lena’s knee, she winced and Lydia immediately stilled.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Lena asked, voice hoarse and scratchy from their long nap. When she sat up slightly, Kara shifted but stayed sound asleep, hugging her girlfriend’s waist. Lena smiled sleepily at Lydia, seeing it had been over an hour and a half since they fell asleep. Lydia was shrugging in the middle of the bed, somehow having crawled down farther in the bed since waking up. “Come on, love bug, let’s go out into the living room so we don’t wake Mama,” she said, carefully tugging on Kara’s arms until the blonde released her, flipping over and snuggling into her pillow instead. Lydia silently held her arms up- awkward as it was to do so with the cast- and Lena picked her up. “What’s wrong, Lyd? Do you not feel like talking today?” Lena asked, a bit worried.

“It hurts,” Lydia croaked, burying her head in Lena’s neck.

“What hurts, babe? Your throat or your arm?” In answer, Lydia flapped her casted arm, bouncing it gently off of Lena’s back. “Okay, alright, sweetie. Mommy can take care of that. Let’s go look at the medicine the doctor gave you.”

“No,” Lydia whined, head still buried in Lena’s neck. 

“Why not?” Lena shifted Lydia until the girl was looking at her, cheeks pink and eyes blurry and teary, though, from pain or frustration, Lena couldn’t tell. “Talk to me, sweetie.”

“I don’t wanna nap again,” Lydia grumbled, swiping at her eyes with the back of her left hand, sniffing loudly. Lena kept walking into the kitchen where she knew Kara had left the medicine. 

“Oh, hon, the medicine makes you sleepy, I know, but we’re not trying to make you nap. Mama and I would never give you medicine just to make you go to bed. But sometimes, medicine has side effects. Do you know what that means?” Lydia shook her head, legs kicking slightly as Lena sat her on the counter, one hand on Lydia's waist as Lena grabbed the bottle of liquid pain reliever. “It means that it does some stuff other than what it’s designed to do. Like pain medication makes our body hurt less, but it can also make us sleepy. You have a pretty strong pain medication for someone so little since your pain is strong. Stronger medicine usually means stronger side effects, too,” Lena explained as she went to pour out a dose. She paused. “Do you want to take this medicine? I know you don’t want to sleep, but if you don’t take it, your arm will keep hurting.”

“I’ll take it,” Lydia said, wrinkling her nose. “Will you play with me so I don’t fall asleep?”

“Sure, sweetpea,” Lena grinned, bopping her nose gently with one finger before she poured out a dose into the medicine cup. “Anything for you.” Lydia wrinkled her nose and groaned when she drank the medicine, but Lena quickly provided her with a cup of juice and some crackers for a snack, so she wasn’t too upset.

 

Kara woke half an hour later, rubbing her eyes and stumbling blearily into the rec room where Lydia and Lena were sprawled out on the floor playing Chutes and Ladders, Disney movies playing in the background.

“Morning sleepyhead,” Lena grinned.

“But Mommy, it’s not morning,” Lydia whispered to her. Lena chuckled and leaned in to whisper back.

“I know, I’m just teasing Mama for sleeping so long,” she whispered. Lydia’s mouth dropped open, forming a perfect ‘o’ as she exhaled in understanding.

“Mornin’ Mama!” Lydia giggled. Kara grinned at them.

“Are you teasing me? It’s not morning,” Kara said in an exaggerated wounded tone.

“Yeah!” Lydia squealed at the same time Lena smiled and said, “No, never.” Kara just harrumphed and plopped down on the couch.

“No, Mama, I’m sorry, teasing isn’t nice. Come play Chutes and Ladders, please?” Lydia begged, crawling up to the couch and pouting at Kara. “Please, Mama?” Kara immediately softened, unable to keep up the facade.

“I know you were just kidding, baby. Mama was just being silly. How about I watch this round and then I’ll join when you start a new one,” Kara offered, sitting down on the ground as Lydia settled herself between her two mothers.

“We can start over now!” Lydia said, immediately knocking over hers and Lena’s pieces and putting them back at the start, grabbing one for Kara, too.

“Hey, you only did that because I was winning,” Lena said playfully, narrowing her eyes. Lydia smiled mischievously, tongue peeking out between her teeth.

“Nu-uh!”

“Yeah-huh!” Lena countered, reaching over to grab Lydia and tickle her until she was red in the face and begging her to stop. Kara smiled, glad that Lydia seemed alright, even as she still recovered from the previous day’s hysterics and antics.

 

After a quiet dinner of takeout and some ice cream, a warm bath, and a long goodnight, Lydia was finally asleep for the night. Kara and Lena had carefully tucked her cast into the foam block for safety before kissing her goodnight and heading into the living room. Lena made a quick detour into the kitchen to pour herself a generous glass of wine, chugging it down before pouring a second.

“So,” Lena declared as she sat on the couch next to Kara, folding herself into Kara’s side. “Do you want to know what my legal team told me when I emailed them?” Kara sighed heavily, hesitating, but she nodded. “Since I have money, it will help to expedite this process. The legal term for it is second-parent adoption. Basically, we have to fill out some forms, interview with a caseworker who will come to do a home visit, then get a judge to sign off. In recent years, the process has become a lot easier, so that’s good. And since there’s no living second parent, there are no issues. And it’ll only cost $2,500 for the adoption forms and fees, plus my lawyers’ expenses, but they get paid a yearly salary since they’re on retainer,” Lena explained. Kara hummed thoughtfully. Lena recognized the sound and waited for a moment to see if Kara would offer her thoughts.

“I was talking to Maggie when she came to wait with me…” Kara trailed off, picking at an imaginary loose thread on her shirt. Lena just nestled into her side and waited, giving her time to gather her thoughts. “She said that the process is a lot easier if the couple is… is, um, married.” A pale blush colored her cheeks.

“Well, yes, it is. My lawyers mentioned that, too,” Lena said softly. She doesn’t look at Kara, glad that their position made it easier to avoid eye contact.

“So… it got me thinking that maybe… maybe we should. Like, you know… get married,” Kara mumbled. Lena inhaled sharply.

“Kara, is this you asking me to marry you?” Kara sighed before glancing sideways at Lena.

“If it was… would you say yes?” Lena closed her eyes and pursed her lips, taking a minute to think.

“Not like this. Not if your only reason is to make it easier to adopt Lydia. Not because you still feel bad about her waiting to get into the hospital,” Lena said softly, pulling away from Kara and shifting on the couch, turning to face her fully. Kara refused to look up from her lap. “Kara? You understand why, right?”

“I know… I know, I just… I have never felt so helpless as I did yesterday and… it was awful. I guess… I just wanted to find a way to fix that feeling… But you’re right. Those aren’t reasons to marry you. And… you deserve a proper proposal. With… with a ring and a speech and me down on one knee,” Kara sighed, looking up at Lena sadly. “I’m sorry.” Lena smiled opening her arms. Kara hesitated a moment before cuddling into Lena’s arms, content to let Lena hold her and rub her back.

“You don’t have to be sorry. Not at all. I felt so helpless, too, but it was a different kind of helpless because you were… right there. But let’s not… she’s okay now. She’s safe and she’s home and you took care of her. And besides… I would… I would like to marry you.”

“Yeah?” Kara said, voice small. Lena could tell she was smiling, though.

“Yeah, I would. Lydia would be a flower girl and Alex would be your maid of honor and… Jess would be mine. It would be nice,” Lena sighed.

“That sounds like you’ve thought about it before,” Kara pointed out, shifting so that she was able to smile at Lena teasingly.

“A few times. I like to prepare for the future.” Kara looked down again suddenly.

“And… and this future… with you and me, married… and Lydia… Does it ever… ever include, like, other kids?” Lena hummed.

“I had never… really been in a place where I considered more children. It was always just me and Lyd. Then it was… me, you, and Lyd. And now, all of a sudden, I have a whole family. I suppose… it might be nice if, um, if Lydia had a sibling… someday. But for now, I’d like to just… I want to hold you if that’s alright?” Lena said. Kara nodded and hummed, snuggling into Lena’s side as they turned the TV on, ready to watch some Netflix. 

And later that night when she woke to find Lydia snuggled in between them, Lena might have imagined how it would feel to have another little body wedged between them, another little voice calling her Mommy. She smiled as she fell back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I can't leave it angsty and sad with Lydia in pain for long! And also... I wanted them to talk about marriage and more children but I didn't want to actually make any moves to have that happen yet.


End file.
